Ballet
by LydiaAnneArrow
Summary: Oliver discovers Felicity's love of the ballet. Fluffy cuteness! Two chapters.
1. Twirling

**This two chapter story was originally published in my "Moments" story...which was supposed to be a collection of one-shots. But Moments turned into something else, so I'm moving these two chapters to their own story. Since I'll lose my reviews, I'm going to include them at the bottom of each chapter. Thanks for reading!**

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It was bound to happen. All of the time she spent working, day and night, was just less time she spent with her friends. Or, former friends. Not that she had many friends to begin with. Felicity had always been a bit of a loner. She supposed it was because of her upbringing. Or lack of upbringing. Felicity's father left when she was young and her mother was a drunk cocktail waitress in Vegas, who failed to return home most nights. Felicity basically raised herself.

The two people she had managed to strike up friendships with worked in the IT department at Queen Consolidated. They weren't close friendships...just coffee, lunch, maybe a movie now and then.

They didn't bother calling or inviting Felicity anywhere anymore. It made sense. There were only so many times you could decline an offer or fail to show before the other party gave up. It was probably for the best. Her life now only put them in danger.

Besides, Felicity was never as close to them as she was to Oliver Queen and John Diggle. They were her family. The first family she had ever really had. Even though they spent their time fighting crime and cheating death, she still felt eternally safe and loved with them.

But, having no friends outside of "Team Arrow" meant that Felicity spent more than a few days off alone. She didn't mind, usually. During off time, She, Digg and Oliver would sometimes spend time together. Meals or drinks. Or drooped over a chair in the foundry, staring at the ceiling, trying to recharge their minds and bodies from a particularly difficult mission.

Felicity was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of metal clanking on metal. She listened to Oliver working on his arrows and Digg restocking the supply drawers.

"We need more oxycodone," Digg said absentmindedly, "and gauze pads. Getting low." He closed one supply drawer and opened another.

"I'll get it ordered," Felicity said, never turning from her computers.

"Laundry soap is low too," Oliver interjected. Felicity smiled to herself. She and Digg might have been the only humans on the planet that knew Oliver did his own laundry. At least his "evening wear".

"I'll order that too," she replied.

"No scented stuff," he said and she turned to look at him. He was particularly engrossed in the sharpening of an arrowhead, "hard to be stealthy when I smell like I fell in a vat of lemons."

He directed his eyes toward Felicity without turning his head and smirked ever so slightly.

"I'm sure that's what the criminals are thinking about when you have an arrow pointed at them," Digg chuckled.

Felicity laughed, "I'll make a note."

Oliver's smile widened, but he didn't say anything more. Felicity turned back to her computers, still smiling. Who said brooding vigilantes couldn't make jokes?

After a few moments of silent work, Digg spoke up, "Unless you have anything else, I think I'll head out."

Though John was the oldest of the three, and the team worked as equals, he still respected that Oliver was the leader. Oliver turned to his friend,

"Goodnight Digg," he smiled.

"Have a good night John!" Felicity added.

"Not ready to head out yet, Felicity?"

"No, I want to finish a few things up. You go ahead," she smiled warmly, leaning back in her chair as she faced him.

Diggle nodded and said a final goodnight and headed out of the foundry. Felicity quietly considered Oliver before she twisted her chair back to face her monitors. As happened often, she found him staring off into the distance with an almost sad look on his face. She knew he went somewhere else in those moments. Some dark memory that he wasn't ready to share yet. She wondered what triggered them. Was it the goodbyes they had just shared? Did he fear it would be the last time he saw them? She looked down at her bare feet and curled her toes before she swung the chair back to face her desk.

Someday, he would tell her. She knew that in her heart. She could wait.

As she began to click away on her keyboards, she heard Oliver return to sharpening arrowheads.

"_Good,_" she thought to herself. She worried when he went still for too long.

As Felicity finished up her tasks, her thoughts wandered back to her lack of fun nights out. She normally didn't mind. She wasn't much for going out, anyway. She much preferred comfort food, cozy couches, and marathoning through sci-fi TV shows. But every now and then, she desired a special night out. And this was one of those times. It wasn't just that she needed a night off, but that she wanted to attend a very specific event.

The ballet. She'd guess that Oliver and Digg wouldn't peg her for a ballet fan. It really wasn't part of her life anymore. She had taken lessons when she was small, but after her father left and her mother spiraled, Felicity's lessons were forgotten. She smiled sadly at the memory of her little feet trying to perfect the point.

She sighed quietly and pulled up the website for the ballet company. It was the next evening. The Starling City Ballet Company was presenting the Cinderella Ballet, which had always been one of her favorites. She had talked herself out of going months before, telling herself that she would probably be busy on a Saturday evening. Criminals and evil masterminds and all.

But she wasn't busy. Starling City was surprisingly quiet. Nothing big on the radar. But, she was sure they wouldn't have tickets left and besides - it wasn't as much fun to get dressed up and go to the ballet without a friend. She gazed quietly at the elaborate photos on the website and conceded to her fate.

"Are there evil plans afoot at the ballet?" Oliver said. Felicity nearly jumped out of her chair. She hadn't heard Oliver approach. She considered his tone and couldn't decide if he was serious or joking.

"Evil stepmothers and stepsisters abound," she settled on humor, hoping that even if Oliver had been serious, he would understand that there was no danger.

She looked up at him and saw him smiling down at her.

"I didn't know you were into the ballet, Felicity."

She shrugged her shoulders, "it's just...you know..." she trailed off. He tilted his head and implored her to continue with his piercing stare, "I...used to take lessons," she looked up at him with a sheepish smile.

He was silent for a moment and then a wide smile spread across his face, "prove it."

"Uh, that won't be happening," her eyes wide, but her arms securely crossed in front of her.

Oliver reached for her elbows and pulled her out of the chair, grinning. Was he chuckling? She looked at him with a confused expression.

"C'mon. One thing," he gently pulled her to the middle of the foundry and backed up, "Twirl!" he commanded lightheartedly.

"You're crazy," she stood still, still crossing her arms over her chest.

"Twirl," he said again, quieter. His head tilted a little.

"No."

"Twirl," he whispered, almost desperately. And then he did it. That damn sad face.

"Oh my god, Oliver Queen," she rolled her eyes, "why on Earth do you want me to twirl?" she dropped her arms to her side in a display of annoyance.

"Please," he said flatly, but with a smile in his eyes.

She closed her eyes and shook her head 'no'. He was quiet. She kept her eyes closed and waited, hoping he had admitted defeat and given up.

No such luck.

He was next to her, whispering into her ear, "I'll take you to the ballet if you twirl for me."

Her eyes shot open and she stared at him. Was he serious? Did he understand that it would break her heart to be promised the ballet and then not be able to go?

"There won't be any tickets now. It's tomorrow," she said slowly, watching him.

"My mother has box seats. Always available," he said, smugly.

"_Damn_," Felicity thought to herself. "It's Saturday night. That's the criminals' favorite night."

"I'm sure it will be fine for a few hours, Felicity. Diggle can keep watch."

"_Damn, damn, damn_," she cursed to herself. Was she really going to consider going to the ballet with Oliver?

He was staring at her. It was weird.

"You're serious? You'll take me to the ballet? Because if you bail on me, I won't talk to you for a month! I'll schedule CEO meetings for every moment of the day! I'll...I'll..." she peered at him with keen eyes, "I'll eat your secret stash of chocolate!"

He looked dumbfounded, "I don't have a secret stash of chocolate."

"You won't have one anymore because I'll eat it."

He smiled, conceding and choosing to save the battle for later, "I'm not going to bail on you, Felicity," he said softly, as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

She breathed deeply and looked straight at him, "Okay. Ballet. Tomorrow. You have to wear a tux, you know."

"I know."

"And no sleeping through the show!"

"I wasn't planning on it," he laughed.

"Okay then. I guess we have a date," she said and quickly corrected herself, "I mean, not a _date_ date. I just mean, it's a planned social outing between friends that has a specific date _attached_."

"Right," his grin was just annoying at this point. She sighed loudly.

"So...thanks," she said and smiled softly. It took all of her self control to mask her excitement and stop herself from squealing and jumping up and down.

"You're welcome," he replied, still grinning.

"Why are you still grinning like that, Oliver?" she asked, finally annoyed with his antics.

"I'm waiting."

"Waiting? For what?"

"Twirling," he said and before she knew what was happening, he was on the other side of her and sitting in her chair. He waved his hand toward the middle of the foundry. "No twirling, no ballet."

"You promised!"

"I recall saying I would take you to the ballet IF you twirled for me."

"_Damn,_" she said to herself again and looked up at the ceiling.

Walking to the middle of the room, "If you tell Digg I twirled, I'll hide your bow and arrows," she said sternly and before he could respond, she spun around in place.

She couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips. And she didn't miss the chuckle that escaped his.

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Previous reviews:

**Brokenangelsely** chapter 1 . May 26  
I just about fell over. The cuteness. It's.

**Belle97** chapter 1 . May 11  
Aaaaawwww this is sooo cute! Eeeeee x) XD LOVE THIS :)

**Guest** chapter 1 . May 11  
nice piece. I hope she was wearing one of her gowns. Another part please ?

**Kiely Gyrl** chapter 1 . May 10  
That was waaay cute... So do we get a day at the ballet chapter?

**sakura-blossom62** chapter 1 . May 11  
Lol this was jsut too cute and sweet and I really needed some Olicity fluff so it was jsut perfect Loved it!

**lateVMlover** chapter 1 . May 11  
Sweet.

**staceyyyy** chapter 1 . May 11  
too cute :)

**Confidential Brunette** chapter 1 . May 11  
I LOVED this! Are you going to continue this or is this just a one-shot?  
Cheers  
CB


	2. Ballet

She was way too nervous. What the hell was wrong with her? It's not like she was attending a Presidential Gala or something.

"Why did I pick this dress?" Felicity thought to herself as she stared at the gown she had chosen earlier in the day. She had been contemplating the gown for months, but never thought she would actually buy it. Knowing she only had a few hours to find something to wear to the ballet, she just went to the store and tried it on. It fit. She bought it.

And now what? It was too much. What was she thinking? She'd look like a fool. Did she have enough time to buy another dress? She looked at her clock. Nope. Two and a half hours before Oliver picked her up. She reached out and ran her fingers over the green tulle skirt.

It was the silver sparkle top that made her buy it. She was sure of it. She was a sucker for anything that sparkled.

And the bow. The giant black bow on the back. Yes, it was the sparkles and the bow. It was not because it was green. She wouldn't pick a dress simply because it was green, right? Of course not. She had wanted this dress for months. Because of the sparkles. And the bow.

Why did she feel like she was going to hack? It was the ballet. She had been to the ballet before.

What was she thinking agreeing to go to a ballet with Oliver Queen? _O-li-ver QUEEN._ Yeah, no one was going to laugh when they saw an IT girl turned EA at the ballet with her boss, the CEO of a giant corporation.

Oh my god, what was she thinking?

And box seats.

There was sure to be any number of rich socialites there, drinking champagne and eating caviar. What would she have in common with those people? She was going to be humiliated.

Why didn't she just stay safe behind her computer monitors?

"_Ugh,_" she grunted and walked toward her bathroom. No getting out of it now. Unless she texted Oliver and told him she was sick...

She stared at her phone, contemplating the lie, when it buzzed on the counter and pulled her out of her trance.

Oliver.

"What color bow-tie should I wear?" he texted.

She couldn't bring herself to lie to him about being sick, "maybe this isn't a good idea."

"Felicity, it's the ballet, not a life or death mission. What could be bad about it?"

She didn't respond. She had never had a social evening like this with Oliver before. They had gone to Big Belly Burger plenty of times, but this? The ballet?

Was he going to try to link arms with her? Was that appropriate? Were they crossing a line?

_It's just the ballet, Felicity!_

"Black," she said out loud to herself, "A black bow-tie. Of course."

Her one-person conversation was cut short by the ringing of her phone. Oliver's ringtone.

"Hello," she answered.

"Took a while for you to respond. Everything okay?"

"I'm just really nervous, Oliver. All those socialites! I'll look like a lost puppy! I am not the kind of girl that watches the ballet in box seats and green tulle ball gowns!" Oops. She hadn't meant to add that last part.

"Green tulle ball gowns?"

"Um. I didn't have much time to pick a dress and it fit, so..." _Why did she say that?_

He was silent for a moment before responding, "I'll wear a green bow-tie then."

"What? No! Black. Definitely black. You'll really stand out if you wear green Oliver. And I think green is the last color you should ever wear. I mean, not because it looks bad on you. Because it doesn't. I mean, it looks really good on you. Not that I'm... I mean, if you wear green, people might guess you are the Arrow! That's not...no. Wear Black. Definitely black!"

"Felicity."

"I might hack."

"Felicity," he said softer, "those socialites have nothing on you. I'm sure the dress is beautiful."

She closed her eyes and sighed, "thanks," she nearly whispered.

"I'll wear a black bow-tie, okay?" he added, "we wouldn't want anyone to guess our secret evening activities."

"I shouldn't be wearing green either!"

"If you change dresses now, you'll mess up my plans."

"What?"

"Picking you up in an hour. See you soon!"

"What?! No! I have two hours!"

"One hour. Better be ready!" and he hung up.

She swore he was laughing.

Great, now she didn't have any time to spare. She dropped the phone on the counter with a thud and got to work on her makeup and hair.

Felicity buckled her high heeled shoe only seconds before Oliver knocked on the door.

_"Seriously? He picks tonight to be on time?"_

She approached the door and took a deep breath. "Here we go." she said to herself as she opened the door.

Oliver Queen was standing at her door with a bouquet of green carnations and yellow lilys.

"Wow."

He handed the bouquet to her with a smile.

"You didn't have to get flowers, Oliver."

"It's the ballet. A gentleman buys flowers for a lady going to the ballet." He stated it like it was an absolute. As if there wasn't anything weird about a CEO buying flowers for his EA.

"You're not my EA right now. And who cares what people think?" he said, "It's just the ballet, Felicity."

Oh god, she said that last part out loud. Okay, she could do this.

"Thank you. They really are beautiful," she walked to her kitchen to put them in water.

Turning, she found Oliver standing in her living room, looking around nervously. He looked toward her and drew in a quick breath and smiled with his lips tight together.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who wants to hack," she chuckled.

"I don't hack."

Felicity glared at him with a smirk.

"Shall we go?" he held out his arm.

"The Ballet doesn't start for an hour and half, Oliver. Why did you insist on picking me up so early?"

"You'll see," he said, still holding his arm out. Felicity hooked her arm around his and let out a shaky breath.

As they walked toward the car, she realized there was no driver. Before she could say anything, Oliver opened the passenger side door for her.

"You look beautiful, by the way," he said as he gently closed the door. Felicity watched him walk around the car to the driver's side.

"Thank you. Nice tux," she said as he got in the car. He smiled.

"Do you even like the ballet?"

"Sure," Oliver said as he watched the road.

"Liar."

Oliver looked over at her, taking a little too long to answer. Did his eyes just...no.

"Okay," he finally said, looking back at the road, "I've never been to the ballet in my life."

"Oh boy."

"What?"

"You have no idea what you're in for. I'm gonna venture a guess here to say that ballet is not going to be your thing."

He just smiled.

"Just please don't hate me after this is over?"

"Felicity, I could never hate you," he looked at her for a brief second and back to the road.

It wasn't long before Oliver pulled the car into the parking at the performance hall.

"Why are we here so early?" Felicity asked, gazing out her window, "They won't let us in this early."

Oliver walked to her door and opened it, offering a hand to help her from the car, "Oliver Queen," he stated as if it was the answer to life's basic questions.

Felicity peered up and him, wondering what he was up to. As they approached the expansive glass doors at the front of the hall, a man in a tuxedo and gloves opened the door for them.

"Mr. Queen, Miss," he said as he led them inside.

Oliver looked down at Felicity and winked. What did he have planned? Felicity's thoughts about Oliver's mysterious behavior were quickly muted by the wonder of the extravagance around her. Golden panels, marble scroll-work, luxurious carpet. Men and women in formal attire were setting up trays of champagne. Felicity looked up at Oliver who seemed to be watching her in wonder.

"Sir," the man in the tux said and held his arm out for Oliver and Felicity to enter side door off the main concert hall.

"Thank you," Oliver said to the man and shook his hand. Felicity noticed he passed a tip to the man.

Inside the room, a woman in a black gown with diamonds descending the bodice approached them, "Right this way Mr. Queen, Miss Smoak."

She knew her name. Felicity peered up at Oliver, "What are we doing?" she whispered.

"Attending the ballet," he whispered back, never looking down at her.

Felicity knew she wasn't getting any answers, so she followed along quietly. She wondered if those were real diamonds on that woman's dress.

Probably.

The diamond-studded woman opened a door and stepped back. Felicity wondered at the sight. The entire ballet company, in various stages of costume and make-up, were bouncing around the room. Men and women with headsets and tablets ran to and fro. The excitement in the air was palpable.

Felicity couldn't contain the giant smile that crossed her face as she looked up at Oliver. He smiled widely in return.

Felicity and Oliver greeted each dancer and even a few of the orchestra members before being led to a private box overlooking the stage. Champagne, wine, chocolate, hors d'oeuvres. The box suite was well-stocked with anything Felicity's heart could desire.

Oliver poured Felicity and himself a glass of wine and led her to sit in the luxurious chairs.

"I thought you might like to meet the company," he said, handing her the wine, "and have a moment to relax before the scary socialites show up," he winked. Again. Twice in one night. Huh.

Felicity took a sip of the wine and smiled, "Thank you, Oliver."

She watched him relax into his chair. He wasn't trying to impress her or show off his money. He simply wanted to make her feel safe and relaxed.

As guests slowly filled up the hall, Felicity and Oliver sat in their own little world and forgot about the stresses of their lives. There was no talk about islands or missions or fears. Not that night.

Instead, Oliver inquired about Felicity's ballet lessons. Did she wear a tutu? Was there a picture? She assured him all pictures were lost. He vowed he would find one. They debated how many chocolates and hors d'oeuvres they could consume before it became a socially unacceptable amount. Felicity explained how pointe shoes were designed and all about her first ballet recital.

As they laughed and talked and drank wine, Oliver decided he liked the ballet. He liked it quite a lot.

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Previous reviews:

**Sunny2006** chapter 2 . May 11  
This is lovely!

**Belle97** chapter 2 . May 11  
Lol I used to do ballet too, when I was young XD eventually I was done with the girly stuff and I started Judo classes XD I didn't want do dance anymore, I just wanted to be able to throw people on the ground XD  
Love this!

**sakura-blossom62** chapter 2 . May 11  
Aww this is jsut so sweet, I love that Oliver was working to help get her relaxed so that she can enjoy herself. Loved it!


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